


Aftermath

by hellobhav



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, major infinity war spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 03:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14559864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellobhav/pseuds/hellobhav
Summary: In the aftermath of the battle with Thanos, Steve's got only one thing on his mind: whether Sharon Carter is okay.





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> Based off this post: https://a-bog-of-words.tumblr.com/post/173474128245/after-seeing-the-iw-it-doesnt-surprise-me-that

**Aftermath**

 

Bucky’s the first one to go - Steve turns and there he is, staring at him with a look of confusion and horror and sadness as molecule by molecule Steve watches him disappear.

 

Steve feels the ground ripped out from underneath him. But he has to carry on, so he tries.

 

But one by one they all disappear - well, not  _ all _ , but enough that each disappearing person takes a piece of his heart with them.

 

When he learns that Sam’s gone, though…

 

His legs give way. He sinks to the ground. He doesn’t breathe, doesn’t remember that he has to, can’t seem to remember  _ how _ to until he’s gasping for air, hyperventilating,  _ feeling _ the blood rushing through his veins to his heart to his lungs to his head to every part of him. There’s a distant part of him that feels a hand grip his shoulder, hears a voice call his name - an even more distant part of him recognises that voice to be Natasha’s.

 

Through the sound of the rushing of the blood and the pounding in his head a thought pushes its way to the front, a name forces itself out of the fog in his mind.

 

_ “Shar--Sharon.” _

 

* * *

Sharon’s been trying to keep tabs on the situation as best she can. She  _ has _ to - she’s the one who sent Nat to get Sam and Steve from the fringes of Chicago as soon as the call from Steve came in, telling her about a frazzled phone call from Banner about some big dude called Thanos who’s after the Infinity Stones.

 

(Locating Vision wasn’t easy - if Natasha hadn’t been keeping an eye on Wanda, she’s not sure she would have found him.)

 

But the last she’s heard, Thanos had reached Wakanda. At least, she gathers that much - she’s lost communication with them. 

 

There’s a part of her that’s terrified. Try as she might to tell herself that it’s okay, that it’ll be okay, that Steve will be okay and he’ll come back to her, she doesn’t know for sure. Something feels  _ different _ about this, and she doesn’t like it.

 

She tries to keep herself busy, but the news isn’t helping, and neither is social media. Everything’s talking about what’s going on right now, and it’s making her more on edge than she wants to be.

 

So she tries to cook, tries to make a hamburger from scratch because at least it’ll give her something to do, but she overcooks the meat and sets off her smoke alarm and orders a pizza instead.

 

Then her phone is ringing and it’s her dad.

 

He’s terrified. His voice is shaking and Sharon can just barely make out what he’s saying.

 

“Shar, your mom - something’s happened - she’s gone, Shar, she’s  _ gone _ . She just disappeared right before my eyes. Shar, what the hell is going on?”

 

She swears her heart stops and the world goes out of focus and silent, too silent.  _ No. No no no. Not Thanos. No. _

 

She tells her father that she’ll call him back as soon as she knows something, tells him to check up on everyone he knows - everyone  _ they  _ know, and she prays to whatever higher power is watching over them that her brother and his wife and kids are okay.  _ Please just let them be okay _ .

 

She tries to get in contact with the Avengers again.

 

And then her heart is racing, trying to beat itself out of its chest because she can’t get hold of them. She can’t get hold of Steve.

 

She tells herself that she’s not on the verge of a panic attack but the truth is that she is. 

 

* * *

Steve doesn’t know what he’d do without Natasha.

 

It’s been a long time since he felt this  _ lost _ , this  _ empty _ , but Natasha’s still there and she’s the one who gets him on a Quinjet and starts flying the plane, putting a phone in his shaking hands and telling him to call Sharon and Clint. 

 

So he does. Or he tries to, but he can’t seem to get through to either of them. Sharon’s phone is either busy or engaged, because he goes right through to her voicemail.

 

(Just hearing the sound of her voice on the recording is enough to set him off again.  _ Please,  _ **_please_ ** _ , if there’s a god out there, please let her be okay. _ )

 

He finally gets through to Clint. Clint is angry. He’s scared and he’s angry and Steve can’t blame him. Laura’s gone, just  _ gone _ , Laura and one of the girls and  _ what the hell happened, Steve? My wife and my child are  _ **_gone_ ** _ , what do you mean you’re sorry? _

 

(He doesn’t get to ask Clint if he’s managed to get through to Sharon. He doesn’t know how he can.)

 

He doesn’t know how Natasha manages to keep it together enough to fly the plane. He doesn’t know how he would have done it.

 

There’s silence as they make their way to Washington, punctuated only by the sounds of Steve trying to call Sharon until the phone battery dies.

 

* * *

Over the next few hours Sharon learns that her brother and both their kids are gone. That Laura Barton and one of Clint’s kids is gone - she can’t remember which kid and she feels  _ awful _ , but some of her neighbours have disappeared, leaving behind frantic partners and terrified children and names are blurring together in Sharon’s head as she tries to sort things out, pair adults with children and grieving adults with those who are still able to function enough to do  _ something _ .

 

And she still can’t get through to the rest of the Avengers. She gets to Sam’s voicemail, Natasha’s voicemail, Tony’s voicemail, Steve’s voicemail, Maria’s voicemail, voicemail, voicemail, voicemail is all she hears and she throws her phone at the sofa as she lets out a frustrated scream.

 

_ Pick up your damn phones! _

 

She loses track of time, of how long it’s been since her father’s phone call. Of how long she’s been running off adrenaline trying to  _ do something _ so she’s not thinking about Steve. Of how long she’s been sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her, staring at her phone, biting her fingernails off one by one.

 

Then she hears a sound at the door.

 

Her eyes flicker up, wary like a cornered animal. Then she grabs her gun from the end table and stands and points it at the door, desperately trying to keep her hands steady as she takes a step, then another, then another towards the door.

 

Then the door’s opening and Sharon puts her finger on the trigger.

 

Steve steps in, looking around, freezing as his eyes land on her. They both stare at each other for a moment, and then Sharon drops her hands, lets the gun slip to the floor.

 

Steve closes the distance between them and scoops her into a hug, practically crushing her to him, his fingers tangling in her hair and around the small of her back and pressing his face into her hair with broken, shaky sobs. Sharon’s doing the same, her arms tight around his neck, her fingers curling in his hair, burying her face in his shoulder.

 

They stay like that for what feels like forever, but it isn’t nearly long enough for either of them. Steve pulls away, his hands still on her face like he needs to touch her to know that she’s okay, and Sharon finally  _ sees _ him, properly sees the tears and the blood and the dirt that stain his face and his stealth suit and the haunted look in his eyes.

 

And she glances over his shoulder and Natasha’s in her kitchen as well, rummaging through the cupboards for food. Natasha looks back at them, catches Sharon’s eye.

 

“Clint--” Sharon manages. 

 

Natasha nods. Her face is pale and Sharon’s seen her scared before, but not like this. “I know. I have to go.”

 

Sharon wants to say something, wants to do something, wants to go with her and make sure Clint’s okay, but all she can do is nod as Natasha leaves.

 

“He won, Shar,” Steve whispers. He sinks to the floor - Sharon sinks with him, looking up at his face. She’s never seen him like this before, never seen him look like all the fight’s gone out of him. Like he’s lost everything. Like there’s no more hope left. 

 

And it terrifies her more than anything else does, because if Steve Rogers has given up, then what can anyone else do? 

 

“He won. They’re gone. Bucky, Sam, Vision, T’Challa, they're...gone. Just...gone. He won, Sharon.”

 

Sharon stares at him in silence. She reaches up, brushes trembling fingers over his face, strokes his hair back. “What--what do we do now?”

 

He swallows, closes his eyes, and when he opens them again, her heart sinks.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

-end-


End file.
